The first thing you need to know is that I started this process back in November. And that's the advice I give to anyone thinking of applying and bringing their dog: start prepping now.
If you know nothing else about my process, it's that I function well on timelines, and that's the one thing that the importation literature defines quite clearly. You miss so much as a day or a single sheet of paper, and the 12-hour wait period turns into a 6-month quarantine. Needless to say, I was totally on top of this since the day HP decided to apply for the program.
The other thing to note is that my vet's practice is awesome. I'm on a pet insurance plan, and though they only get pets who need to travel internationally every so often, they had procedures in place. And they bent the rules for me: because of my schedule, I could drop Elsa off in the morning, they'd do what needed to be done, and I could pick her up on my lunch break, only paying the supplies' cost. They never charged me an office visit fee, which saved me a lot of money.
Point the third: This can be damn expensive. As I mentioned in my "Here's the dog!" post, my dog is part of my livelihood, and not just a personal pet. I also was very cautious to budget a large chunk of money for unforeseen medical expenses her first year of life even before I signed a contract with her breeder. I'll be putting down how much everything cost me, but unless you have a similar arrangement with your vet, don't bank on getting a lot of breaks.
So, here's my timeline, based off of the (adorably illustrated) official guidelines in the link to the left. I gave myself some leeway, but not much.
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11/17/10 - 287 days [DONE]
Elsa is spayed. While she's under, I have her microchipped.
NOTE: Make sure the microchip your vet uses has the International ISO (11784 and 11785) standard or Japanese readers can't read it and it's worthless.
Spent: $50 on microchip.
12/10/10 - 264 days [DONE]
She's already had one, but Japan requires two rabies vaccinations after microchipping, no less than 31 days apart. So Elsa gets another rabies vaccination on her 3-week spay checkup.
NOTE: Most vets already do this, but the vaccine has to be killed-tissue in order to be valid. Still doesn't hurt to check.
Spent: $15 on vaccine.
1/11/11 - 233 days [DONE]
Elsa has her second mandatory rabies vaccine, 31 days on the nose.
Spent: $15 on vaccine.
2/15/11 - 198 days [DONE]
Elsa has her titer (measure of rabies antibodies, making sure the vaccines took) drawn. The vet draws and labels it for free, spins it into serum, and I put it in my cooler to bring to the UPS outpost.
NOTE: The only laboratory that Japan accepts in the USA is the Kansas State rabies lab, and they're just as much a stickler for paperwork that Japan is. Mislabel something, and your sample is worthless. For what it's worth, though, the staff are very friendly and happy to answer your bajillion questions.
Spent: $5 on ice packs, $80 for the titer, $120 for overnight mail.
2/15/11 - 198 days [CURRENT]
Wait six months. No, seriously. From the day the titer is drawn, the dog has a 180-day wait period in the country of origin. No trips to Canada, folks.
NOTE: The wait is at least 180 days, and the titer is good for 2 years, so if you wanted to get this done very early and just wait around comfortably, you definitely could.
3/3/11 - TITER RESULTS [DONE]
It could take anywhere from 3 to 10 weeks to get your serum antibody results, and they need to be at least 0.5 IU/mL to be acceptable. Imagine my surprise when Elsa's comes back 4.68, roughly 9 times as immune as necessary. Rabies lab called her "robust and resilient" with a laugh when I called to make sure I hadn't raised the Hulk. Guess that's what happens when your pup gets 3 rabies vaccines within a six-month span.
Back to waiting. Yayy.
Between 7/1 and 7/15 - T > 40 days
Notify Narita Airport that I'm importing the dog.
NOTE: The application, and instructions on how to fill it out in English, are on the linked website.
Between 8/21 and 8/30 - T 7-2 days
Have an APHIS vet fill out the Export Certificate and vet forms.
9/1/11 - 0 days
Get my ass to JFK Int'l and get ready to fly to Tokyo.
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And that's the plan.
Elsa is small enough (six pounds, I'm not kidding) that I'm going to see if she can fly in the cabin with me. So, between her and my laptop, I should have my hands full for the long 12 hours it'll take to get to Narita.
I'll update on this process as it goes on, but for now, this is where things stand. I feel like such a boss right now.
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